There still are several seeding scenarios to complete, but the critical mission of the long MLS regular season has been accomplished. Ten teams have booked their playoff tickets.

With one weekend remaining and with balloting already under way, Sporting News turns its attention to the race for the league's most prestigious individual awards.

The only intrigue surrounding the most important honor at all is whether the voting will be unanimous. (Note: Candidates listed in alphabetical order.)

MVP

Thierry Henry, New York Red Bulls. The French legend isn't the leading scorer on his own team—Kenny Cooper has 16 goals to Henry's 14—but he's clearly the man who makes the Red Bulls tick. Henry's skill on the ball is a cut above, and his 12 assists rank fifth in the league. He is the only MLS player to reach double digits in goals and assists.

Chris Wondolowski, San Jose Earthquakes. Wondolowski's 26 goals leave him one shy of the single-season record with one game remaining. He is the leader in deed and by example for the league's highest-scoring and top-seeded club and should win his first MVP award in a walk. Wondo's 11 game-winners are an MLS record, and the success of unheralded teammates like Steven Lenhart and Alan Gordon is a testament to his influence.

Graham Zusi, Sporting Kansas City. The MLS assist leader with 15, Zusi emerged as a U.S. national team starter thanks to his technique, range and skill on set pieces. The fourth-year midfielder, who also has five goals, has scored or set up half of SKC's 40 goals this season.

DEFENDER OF THE YEAR

Matt Besler, Sporting Kansas City. A surprise All-Star one year ago, the central defender emerged as the dependable anchor of the league's best back four this season. Besler, from nearby Overland Park, Kan., combined skill and graft to lead an SKC defense yielded only 0.79 goals per game, the third-best mark in MLS history.

Jay DeMerit, Vancouver Whitecaps. The fiery captain has recaptured his 2010 World Cup form and helped his team secure a playoff berth in just its second MLS season, despite a midseason overhaul that altered the club's offensive chemistry. DeMerit started 30 games and helped the Whitecaps rank sixth in goals against. He should have been the All-Star Game MVP.

Arne Friedrich, Chicago Fire. This German World Cup veteran brought experience and class to the Chicago rearguard, helping the Fire rise to fifth in the defensive rankings and make the playoffs for the first time in three years. Friedrich's mentoring of rookie of the year candidate Austin Berry has been critical as well. Chicago won only three of the 11 games Friedrich missed this season.

GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR

Andy Gruenebaum, Columbus Crew. After six seasons as a reserve, Gruenebaum made the most of his chance following an offseason injury to Crew starter Will Hesmer. Gruenebaum leads MLS in saves (122) and is tied for third in save percentage among goalies with more than 10 appearances. His play made a huge difference early in the spring as Columbus struggled to score.

Dan Kennedy, Chivas USA. No MLS goalkeeper faces more pressure — or more shots — than Kennedy, whose acrobatics help his team stay competitive more often than it probably should. The numbers won't tell the story, but anyone who watches Chivas realizes that Kennedy is an elite netminder.

Jimmy Nielsen, Sporting Kansas City. This imposing Danish veteran played every minute for SKC this season and leads MLS with 15 shutouts and 17 wins—both one shy of the league record. SKC doesn't give up many shots, but when they come Nielsen is there. He is tied for third in save percentage among regular starters and shared team MVP honors with Zusi.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Austin Berry, Chicago Fire. This former Louisville player and Cincinnati native has accomplished a rare feat—starting 27 games in central defense for a playoff team. It's a position that favors experience, but Berry's maturity, consistency and aerial dominance have proved invaluable. He also has three goals.

Nick DeLeon, D.C. United. Berry's college teammate is an offensive spark for D.C., which will return to the postseason for the first time since 2007. This hardworking yet sublimely skillful flank midfielder from Arizona has six goals and four assists in 27 games and can unhinge a defense with his dribbling. D.C. and the Fire meet Saturday in Chicago, where the award could be decided on the field.

Darren Mattocks, Vancouver Whitecaps. This Jamaican speedster has started 14 games yet leads the Whitecaps in goals with seven — an impressive haul for a first-year pro. Mattocks, the second pick in the 2012 MLS Draft, has two game-winners.

COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Alan Gordon, San Jose Earthquakes. Gordon's remarkable breakthrough season came at late age (he turned 31 on Oct. 16) and a year after surgery to repair abdominal and hip muscles. His 13 goals are tied for seventh-best in MLS and his 0.90 goals per 90 minutes ranks first in the league. His contributes to the Earthquakes led to a call-up to the U.S. national team for this month's World Cup qualifiers.

Eddie Johnson, Seattle Sounders. Not all comebacks are from injury. After enduring a mostly miserable, confidence-draining four years in Europe and then personal setbacks that pushed him out of the game altogether for much of 2011, Johnson blossomed under coach Sigi Schmid in Seattle. This 28-year-old striker has 14 MLS goals, tied for fifth-most in the league.

Chris Pontius, D.C. United. This hard-luck midfielder/forward recovered from a broken leg last year to lead D.C. United with 12 goals. He also has four assists. His versatility has been critical as coach Ben Olsen has shuffled his lineup, and Pontius is a big part of D.C.'s 5-0-1 run to the playoffs absent 2011 league MVP Dwayne De Rosario.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Victor Bernárdez, San Jose Earthquakes. This sturdy central defender has ably anchored a back four on a team that isn't shy about its preference to attack. San Jose ranks seventh in total defense. A Honduran, Bernárdez played professionally in his native country, Belgium and Mexico. He also could be a candidate for the defender of the year award and has chipped in two goals and one assist.

Patrice Bernier, Montreal Impact. This Quebec native returned to his homeland from Denmark and provided a much-needed spark. He has nine goals (first on the team) and eight assists (second) in league play and has been the midfield cog for an expansion team that has won a respectable 12 MLS games.

Arne Friedrich, Chicago Fire. A back injury sidelined Friedrich in September 2011, and the Fire took a slight risk when it signed this German veteran in early March. But it has paid off handsomely; the defender of the year candidate has been an important cog to Chicago's return to the playoffs. Friedrich won bronze medals at both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Frank Klopas, Chicago Fire. Klopas stabilized his former club after taking over midway through the 2011 season and reestablished a winning culture and style of play. His astute signings of Friedrich, Chris Rolfe, Sherjill MacDonald and Álvaro Fernández have been critical to the Fire's pursuit of a high playoff seed.

Peter Vermes, Sporting Kansas City. Sporting's frenetic, high-pressure soccer is instantly recognizable, remarkably effective and a testament to Vermes' vision and his ability to get his players to buy in. SKC has clinched the top seed in the East and will be an MLS Cup favorite despite the league's third-lowest payroll.

Frank Yallop, San Jose Earthquakes. Many thought the veteran manager was fortunate to have a job in 2012. Now, no one is questioning Yallop's methods. He has built the league's most exciting team, highly regarded for its offensive firepower and feared for its consistent late-game heroics. Yallop built his team gradually, added a couple of key pieces this season and coached the Quakes to an unexpected Supporters Shield title. San Jose has the second-lowest payroll in MLS.